raymond



ALBERT o. Y RAYlQN-Di PATENT EEICE.

or MEEIDEN, CONNECTICUT, AssieNoE To HCBAET 1 C. HULL, CE sAME PLACE.

SNAP-HOOK.

SPECIFICATIONorming part of Letters Fatent No. 302,028, dated July15,1884.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1 ALEEET C. RAYMOND, residing Vat Meriden, in thecounty of New Haven and State of Connecticut, .have yinvented certainnew and useful Improvements in Snap-Hooks; and I do declare the follow-'ing to be a full, clear, `and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification. My invention relates to an improvement in snap-hooks, theobject being to produce an article which shall beadapted to be bothopened and closed without using the fingers, and which shall combinesimplicity and cheap, ness of construction with durability and efciencyin use.

, With these ends in view my invention consists in a'snap-hook providedwith an adjust-` able fork arranged to be operated by direct pressureupon itsarms, and to be sustained in its open and closed adjustmentssolely by a Spring;

My invention further consists in certainde tails of construction andcombinations ofparts,l as will be hereinafter described, and pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a view inl perspective of asnap-hook constructed in accordance with my inyention. Fig. 2 is aviewthereof in vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a similar View ofone of the modified forms which the invention may assume, and Fig. fi isa view thereof in vertif cal transverse section through the lips of theshank and showing the fork in elevation.

As shown in Figs. l and 2 ofthe drawings, the vibrating forkA isprovided with armsB and C, inclined to each other at something less thana right an gle,with an open slot,D, located between the said arms, andwith a finger, E, situated near the end `of the arm C, as shown: Thefork is fulcrumed lin the shank F of the hook G by its engagementthrough its openl slot D with a pin, H, located between two lips, I,formed upon the upper face of the shank of the hook. The fork issustained in its engagement with the said. pin by means of a hat spring,J, which extends under it and engages as at I), on a curved line.

- its first position.

Application med March s, 1884. (No model.)

directly with the outer faces of its arms'. In 5o virtue also of thedescribed engagement of ,the spring with the fork, the same is held inits open and closed positions thereby, andA without other aid. The saidspring is located in an inclined recess, K, formed in the upper 5 5 pformed with an opening, M, into which the 6o` elbow N of the forkextends as the same is shifted in position. For the purpose of wideningthe opening between the shank and the loop 4O of the hook, the said loopis cut away,

in its open adjustment, the arm B of the fork is elevated, as, shown inFig. 1 of the drawings. To engage a ring, link, strap, or other 'part ofa harness with the hook, the part,

whatever it may be, is pressed directly against 7o the said arm B of thefork, with the effect of throwing the same over into the position inwhich it is shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. In this position of thefork thepart engaged with the hook is prevented from being disengagedtherefrom by the arm .C ofthe fork.

To release the part engaged with the hook, it is pressed directlylagainst the said arm C, and is released as the fork is thrown back intoIt will thus be seenA that 8o my improved hook is both opened and closedwithout using the iingersfand that it is oper'- ated by direct pressureupon the arms of the fork. It is to benotechalso, that as the springpasses from one arm of the fork to the other 8 5 larm thereof it .throwsthe same quickly into position, the pressure uponv the arms of the forkbeing required only at the beginning of the movement in eitherdirection.

After the ring, link, strap, or other part of 9o the harness has beenengaged with the hook, the-same may be locked, if desired, by throwingthe fork back to its open` position with the handby means of the nger E,located upon the arm C of thefork, as has been described. In thisposition of the fork the part engaged with the hook can only be releasedtherefrom by restoring theY fork to its closed Vhen the hook is 65Aposition, which is done by hand, as before, and then removing the partin the usual manner.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings the fork is providedwith a pin, Q, which projects from its opposite faces. The projectingends of the said pin have bearing in recesses R, formed in the innerfaces of the lips of the shank, and extending from the opening thereinto a point just within the upper edges of the lips, which are castsufficiently apart to receive the pin, and then closed together toengage it. In other respects the modified hook is the same inconstruction as that shown in the other figures of the drawings. Ifdesired, the pin II may be supplied to the lips instead of being castwith them. If desired also, the walls of the recess I may be upset forholding the spring J in place, instead of using a rivet for thatpurpose. I wouldv therefore have it understood that I do not limitmyself to the exact construction shown and described, but hold myself atliberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within thespirit and scope of my invention.

I am aware that a snap-hook provided with a fork actuated by a springand supported in its closed position by engagement with the end of thehook is not new. I do not therefore claim, broadly, a snap-hook providedwith a spring-actuated fork, but only my particular construction andarrangement of parts.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A snap-hook having an adjustable fork shaped substantially as shown,and a spring arranged to engage with the outer faces of the arms of thesaid fork, and shifting from one arm toY t-he other as the fork is adjusted, substantially as set forth.

2. A snap-hook having an adjustable fork shaped substantially as shown,and provided with an open slot through which it is engaged with a pinlocated in the shank of the hook, substantially as set forth.

3. A snap-hook having a vibrating fork one arm of which is provided witha linger, substantially as set forth.

4. A snap-hook having a spring-actuated fork, the shank of the hook, thefork, and the spring being constructed and arranged substantially asshown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT C. RAYMOND. d

Vitnesses:

EDWARD H. ROYEN, Grao. D. SEYMOUR.

